CES 2025: big names absent as Chinese companies return to Las Vegas amid US tech tension
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06 Jan 2025 02:01:12 am.
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CES
, the annual consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas that officially kicks off on Tuesday, is seeing a rebound in Chinese exhibitors despite an escalating tech war between Beijing and Washington.
More than 1,300 Chinese companies – including 1,212 from the mainland and 98 from Hong Kong – are set to showcase their latest offerings in the major expo organised by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), according to a list on the event website. Together, they comprise more than a quarter of the 4,500 registered exhibitors, making China the largest foreign participant this year.
While this represents an increase from the 1,115 Chinese companies registered at CES in 2024 and the 493 listed in 2023 when Covid restrictions hampered international travel, this year’s number still falls short of the record 1,551 Chinese exhibitors in 2018, when they made up over a third of all participants.
Notably absent this year is
ByteDance
, which registered last year under its US office, although its subsidiary TikTok still has a presence. Also missing are big names that showed up in previous years, including
Baidu
, US-sanctioned
Huawei Technologies
, and drone maker
DJI
, which has been on a Pentagon blacklist since 2021.
>>>Replacement adapter for DJI Drone
Alibaba Group Holding
, owner of the South China Morning Post, maintains a presence with its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) unit Alibaba Cloud.
<figure class="image-inline caption ea9pn0s1 css-1qeofuq e1gf69pb0" data-qa="ArticleImage-ArticleImageContainer"><figcaption class="css-6potyr e1gf69pb1" data-qa="ArticleImage-DescriptionContainer">A TikTok live-streaming booth at CES last year. </figcaption></figure>
Chinese participation at CES is overshadowed by growing tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security said on Thursday it was considering proposing a rule to
cut China out of the drone supply chain
.
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The US also plans to unveil new restrictions targeting China’s sourcing of advanced AI chips from third-party countries before President Joe Biden leaves the White House,
sources have told the Post
.
Meanwhile, TikTok is
fighting a US law
requiring the short-video app to be banned in the country by January 19 unless it is sold to a non-Chinese buyer. The legal battle is complicated by president-elect
Donald Trump’s unusual request
urging the Supreme Court to halt the ban until he takes office on January 20. The US Department of Justice on Friday asked the Supreme Court to reject Trump’s request.
Amid strained US-China relations, employees from some mainland companies were reportedly denied visas despite submitting their applications along with invitation letters from CES.
>>>Replacement battery for Huawei MatePad Paper
<figure class="image-inline caption ea9pn0s1 css-1qeofuq e1gf69pb0" data-qa="ArticleImage-ArticleImageContainer"><figcaption class="css-6potyr e1gf69pb1" data-qa="ArticleImage-DescriptionContainer">Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote at this year’s CES. Photo: Reuters</figcaption></figure>
AI, which has emerged as a key battlefront between the US and China, is expected to dominate the show. Jensen Huang, CEO of the world’s most valuable AI chip supplier
Nvidia
, is scheduled to deliver an opening keynote on Monday. The company is set to unveil new graphics processors at the event.
Robotics
, quantum computing,
autonomous driving
, and
augmented and virtual reality
are also hot topics.
The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), together with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Electronics Industries Association, is leading its largest-ever delegation of tech companies to CES.
The Hong Kong Tech Pavilion will feature 51 entities, including six non-HKSTP firms and institutes, as the city seeks to bolster its tech sector. Exhibitors span five industry fields, including AI and data, advanced electronics and robotics, advanced materials and sustainable technology, digital transformation, and life and health, according to HKSTP.
CTA expects the number of visitors at CES 2025 to exceed last year’s 138,000, with over 40 per cent coming from outside the US.
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Tags: CES 2025
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